17,330 Shares in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY) Purchased by Great Valley Advisor Group Inc.

Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. purchased a new position in Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - Free Report) TSE: RY in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 17,330 shares of the financial services provider's stock, valued at approximately $1,753,000.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Royal Bank of Canada by 62.4% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 955 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $97,000 after purchasing an additional 367 shares during the last quarter. Savant Capital LLC bought a new stake in Royal Bank of Canada in the 4th quarter worth about $231,000. Certuity LLC bought a new stake in Royal Bank of Canada in the 4th quarter worth about $209,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in Royal Bank of Canada by 36.2% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 3,726 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $377,000 after buying an additional 990 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Altrius Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Royal Bank of Canada by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. Altrius Capital Management Inc now owns 67,790 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $6,856,000 after buying an additional 2,165 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 45.31% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently commented on RY. Barclays assumed coverage on Royal Bank of Canada in a report on Wednesday, March 20th. They issued an "equal weight" rating for the company. Jefferies Financial Group assumed coverage on Royal Bank of Canada in a research note on Thursday, February 22nd. They set a "hold" rating for the company. StockNews.com downgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 6th. Finally, BMO Capital Markets upgraded Royal Bank of Canada from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $140.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Friday, April 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Royal Bank of Canada presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $137.67.

Royal Bank of Canada Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:RY traded up $1.95 during trading on Friday, hitting $101.17. 2,298,839 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,233,002. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $99.11 and its 200 day simple moving average is $95.10. The company has a market cap of $143.13 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.74, a PEG ratio of 1.68 and a beta of 0.86. Royal Bank of Canada has a 52-week low of $77.90 and a 52-week high of $103.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.11, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.89.

Royal Bank of Canada (NYSE:RY - Get Free Report) TSE: RY last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, February 28th. The financial services provider reported $2.11 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.06 by $0.05. The firm had revenue of $9.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $10.10 billion. Royal Bank of Canada had a net margin of 12.43% and a return on equity of 14.74%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Royal Bank of Canada will post 8.45 EPS for the current year.

Royal Bank of Canada Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 24th. Stockholders of record on Thursday, April 25th will be given a dividend of $1.0207 per share. This is an increase from Royal Bank of Canada's previous quarterly dividend of $1.02. This represents a $4.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 4.04%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, April 24th. Royal Bank of Canada's dividend payout ratio is currently 25.31%.

About Royal Bank of Canada

Royal Bank of Canada operates as a diversified financial service company worldwide. The company's Personal & Commercial Banking segment offers checking and savings accounts, home equity financing, personal lending, private banking, indirect lending, including auto financing, mutual funds and self-directed brokerage accounts, guaranteed investment certificates, credit cards, and payment products and solutions; and lending, leasing, deposit, investment, foreign exchange, cash management, auto dealer financing, trade products, and services to small and medium-sized commercial businesses.